Beyond Retro, the leading European vintage retailer, and parent company Bank and Vogue, are excited to be closing the loop with a innovative project in partnership with Swedish textile recycling company re:newcell, that will turn post-consumer denim into a new, recycled fibre at industrial scale.

The partnership has developed from a groundbreaking project that sees Beyond Retro offering their experience in the used garments space, together with re:newcell’s technological expertise in textiles to give new life to 90,000 pairs of secondhand jeans. By working together to change the potential for recycled clothing, the two sustainable powerhouses can make recycled fashion within a brand new framework.

Beyond Retro’s parent company, ​Bank and Vogue is one of the largest traders in used apparel in North America, and operator of the largest commercial re-manufacturing facility in the world in India. They are leaders in the circular economy of textiles with over twenty years of experience in the ReUse space.

Offering a completely unique perspective, honed from their expertise in trading, retailing, remanufacturing and recycling used clothing, Bank and Vogue is the only full circle global solutions provider in the reuse world of the apparel industry.

“The key to the future of sustainable fashion is to maximise the value hierarchy of used apparel. We aim to resell, then repair, and remake, but by partnering with re:newcell, we can forge new ground through fibre technology to recycle.” commented Steven Bethell, Creative Director of Beyond Retro. “In this process, we can work on tackling a larger problem of unwanted, discarded clothing, and we’re thrilled to be a supplier of post consumer textiles that will truly be recycled.”

Fiber-to-fiber recycling has long been the missing link to fully close the loop on fashion. The pioneering re:newcell process dissolves the fabric of the jeans to create a natural pulp that can then be spun into textile fiber and fed back into textile production to produce new high quality garments; creating a full circular economy. re:newcell’s plant in Kristinehamn, Sweden, is the first of its kind in the world and has the capacity to recycle 7 000 tons of discarded textiles every year.

“We’re excited to partner with Beyond Retro to recycle worn-out jeans into a pristine raw material for the fashion industry. This collaboration brings together the expertise needed to prove that truly circular fashion, from reuse to recycling, finally works.” said Mattias Jonsson, CEO of re:newcell. “The precious material in 90 000 pairs of jeans can now be recovered and made into clothes once again, saving massive amounts of CO2, freshwater and chemicals.”

Dec 10. 2018

re:newcell joins the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action

The global fashion sector today significantly increased momentum to address climate change by launching the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. Under the auspices of UN Climate Change, leading fashion brands, retailers, supplier organizations, and others, including a major shipping company, have agreed to collectively address the climate impact of the fashion sector across its entire value chain.

The Charter, which is open for other companies and organizations to join, recognizes the crucial role that fashion plays on both sides of the climate equation; as a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and as a sector with multiple opportunities to reduce emissions while contributing to sustainable development.

Aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Charter contains the vision for the industry to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and defines issues that will be addressed by signatories, ranging from decarbonization of the production phase, selection of climate friendly and sustainable materials, low-carbon transport, improved consumer dialogue and awareness, working with the financing community and policymakers to catalyze scalable solutions, and exploring circular business models. To make concrete progress on these commitments, six working groups have been established in which signatories will work to define steps for implementation.

The signatories are not waiting for these issues to be fully elaborated and have set an initial target to reduce their aggregate greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030 and have defined concrete measures, such as phasing out coal-fired boilers or other sources of coal-fired heat and power generation in their own companies and direct suppliers from 2025.

“The fashion industry is always two steps ahead when it comes to defining world culture, so I am pleased to see it now also leading the way in terms of climate action,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa. “I congratulate the signatories of this important charter, which represents a unique commitment and collaboration from an array of fashion leaders. The Charter, like the renowned fashion runways of the world, sets an example that I hope others will follow.”

The Charter is industry-led, and open to a wider group of fashion stakeholders. It is supported by a range of relevant organizations and NGOs that will foster ambition which will be tracked and recognized by UN Climate Change, The Charter aims to drive climate action in the sector, including by complementing and supporting other fashion sector initiatives aimed at increasing climate action.

In early 2018, fashion leaders volunteered to shape a climate movement through discussions in working groups chaired by PUMA SE and H&M Group. The launch today, during the critical UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland (COP24), reflects genuine sectoral buy-in and is a clarion call to the fashion industry globally to sign-up to climate action.

By signing on to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, CEOs and presidents of these organizations have confirmed their commitment to address climate change and their willingness to step up collaboration within and beyond the fashion sector towards a cleaner, low-carbon future. The fashion industry -- which encompasses textiles, clothing, leather, and footwear industries, from the production of raw materials and manufacturing of garments, accessories and footwear to their distribution and consumption — has long supply chains and energy intensive production.

Principles and actions outlined in the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action will be pursued and developed collectively through working groups which will be convened by the UN Climate Change in early 2019. Any company or organization professionally engaged in the fashion sector, regardless of where they are in their environmental journey, and who are committing to the principles of the Charter by signing it, may participate in this work.

Nov 12. 2018

re:newcell is nominated to Circular Initiative of the Year award

The Swedish recycling industry journal has nominated re:newcell to the award for Circular Initiative of the Year. The award, which is sponsored by The Swedish Recycling Industries' Association, is given out to a person, organisation or business that has presented a technology, business model or innovation that stimulates circular flows of materials in society. The winner of the award will be presented at the Recycling Gala on January 1st 2019.

More information on the award and other nominees can be found here (in Swedish): Återvinningsgalan

Oct 24. 2018

Textilia invests in re:newcell to support textile recycling

Textilia has worked alongside the fashion industry in the pursuit of more environmentally sustainable textiles for a long time, and the last piece of the puzzle for textile recycling has been hard to find. Until now. Re:newcell is the world's first scalable solution for recycling of high quality textile fibers in the fashion industry, and Textilia has now chosen to invest to become part owner in the company.

"We've had our eyes on re:newcell and their work to create new textile fibers from old textiles for a long time. Our decision to invest in the company is another way for us to assume responsibility on this important issue. As one of Sweden's largest buyers of textile for use in health and care services, we simply have to engage and support in the development of textile fiber recycling" says Fredrik Lagerkvist, CEO at Textilia.

With the investment from Textilia and a number of other large partners, re:newcell will have the opportunity to expand current operations and begin preparations for the next recycling plant.

"We're very happy that Textilia has chosen to join us as a part owner. In addition to making it possible for us to increase capacity at a faster pace, we will also gain knowledge and experience from an industry leader. Circular economy is all about linking the end-user with the raw material provider. That kind of link is exactly what this investment creates" says Mattias Jonsson, CEO at re:newcell.

The influential fashion magazine WWD has published an article focusing on the forefront of sustainability innovations in the industry. Re:newcell is featured alongside colleagues such as Candiani, Evrnu and ISKO.

Fashion business magazine Drapers has published the report "Solving fashion's sustainability problem". It features an overview of the industry's climate and environmental impact, along with interviews with leading brands around their sustainability efforts. re:newcell is mentioned in the chapter on Recycled materials.

The WargoTex Development project is focused on building new solutions for large scale collection, sorting and recycling of textile waste in Sweden. Led by Wargön Innovation and partly financed by a grant from the Swedish Energy Authority's RE:Source Innovation Program, the project gathers 26 partners throughout the textile value chain.

re:newcell featured in Ny Teknik: "Swedish technology can create a more sustainable fashion industry"

Ny Teknik, Sweden's largest weekly technology magazine, has published an article about re:newcell that includes an interview with our engineer Amy Carlström as well as some pictures from our Kristinehamn plant.

In connection with Copenhagen Fashion Summit, Global Fashion Agenda and Boston Consulting Group presented their co-authored report; Pulse of The Fashion Industry. The report contains a detailed overview on how the industry is moving towards sustainability. It also includes a roadmap to sustainability for fashion brands. Re:newcell is featured in the report as an encouraging move within closed loop innovation.

"[The growth in demand for textiles] has large consequences for water use, emissions, chemical pollution and so on. It's incredibly important that we create circularity for the materials so that we avoid having to produce it anew." says CEO Mattias Jonsson.

The full article and a video interview at our Kristinehamn plant can be found here(in Swedish): Dagens industri

Apr 16. 2018

Minister for the Environment Karolina Skog visits re:newcell

"Sweden should become a world leader in sustainable textiles, and re:newcell is helping us achieve that goal" was the message from the Minister as she visited the re:newcell demonstration plant in Kristinehamn, Sweden. The Minister was given a guided tour of the one-of-a-kind facility designed to produce 7 000 tons of high quality biodegradable re:newcell pulp from textile waste annually.

The Swedish government has made the transition to a circular fashion system a priority. "If the fashion industry is to make the necessary change to sustainable production, we need new solutions. This will require cooperation between businesses, government and the academy" said the Minister.

re:newcell takes part in The Future of Fashion - All eyes on fiber innovation at Berlin Fashion Week

In January, The Swedish Embassy in Berlin in cooperation with hessnatur Stiftung and the Swedish Institute hosted an event that showcased German and Swedish fiber innovators. Alongside industry leaders such as Mistra Future Fashion, Smartfiber AG and RISE, we had opportunity to present re:newcell and the benefits of closed loop textile recycling.

The United Nations Climate Change Secretariat has initiated a dialogue with stakeholders in the fashion industry on how to collectively achieve meaningful climate action. re:newcell joined 38 industry delegates at the UNFCCC secretariat in Bonn over the course of two days of workshops and meetings. The dialogue aims to create a programme of commitments that are aligned with the Paris Agreement. The programme is to be launched at COP 24 in Katowice in December 2018.

Reducing the climate impact of raw materials and moving to a circular model of production and consumption will be key to achieving real climate action. re:newcell will continue to contribute to the dialogue going forward.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation released its first report on the fashion industry today. The report is written in collaboration with many stakeholders across the industry, including H&M, Stella McCartney, Nike and Lenzing. It includes new research by McKinsey on the current state of the textiles economy, and describes a vision for a circular future.We are happy to note that re:newcell is highlighted in the report as a company that is radically improving recycling technology. Our scalable solution upcycles textile waste into new biodegradable fibers with equal or improved properties compared to virgin fibers, helping to make the circular textiles economy a reality.

SCS Global has on behalf of Stella McCartney performed a research study on the impact of textile fibers. The study points out that re:newcell’s solution stands out as having the best net effect for global climate change.

We’re happy to share that press outlets all over the world have picked up our recent announcement with H&M group to help us spread the word on how to make fashion more sustainable. Read the articles below to learn more about our innovation.

As part of making the fashion industry more sustainable, H&M group invests in the Swedish company re:newcell as a minority shareholder. It is an important investment in re:newcell’s technology, an innovation with the potential to benefit the fashion industry as a whole.

"I am proud that H&M group sees the advantages of our innovation," says Mattias Jonsson, CEO of re:newcell. "Together we can contribute to changing the way fashion is produced and recycled."

re:newcell provides a sustainable alternative to producing clothes from virgin materials. re:newcell’s technology upcycles used garments with high cellulosic content – such as cotton, lyocell and viscose – into a new, biodegradable material, re:newcell pulp. It can be turned into textile fiber and fed into the textile production cycle.

"This is the link that has been missing from the production cycle. re:newcell has closed the loop," says Mattias Jonsson. "The way fashion is produced and consumed can hopefully be transformed into a never-ending loop in the future."

At their plant in Kristinehamn, Sweden, re:newcell uses both used clothes and residues from textile production, which decreases the amount of textiles ending up in landfills or as insulation. The plant has a closed loop production system for chemicals and water and uses renewable energy. The current production capacity is 7,000 tons of pulp per year and additional units are in the planning stage.

re:newcell mentioned as #1 Top 10 Sustainability Moments in 2016 by the Sourcing Journal

re:newcell is happy to report that the company was nominated as number 1 on the Top 10 Sustainability Moments in 2016 by the Sourcing Journal. The moment that the Sourcing Journal is referring to is when the company was granted $5M Investment for the First Circular Garment Facility and therefore making entirely circular garments a reality for the fashion industry. Other companies on the list include H&M, CanopyStyle, Textile Exchange and more. Click here

Sep 23. 2016

Fouriertransform and Girincubator invests in Circular textile company re:newcell

Fouriertransform, the Swedish government owned investment company, together with the private investor Girincubator, today announce a SEK 48 million investment in the Swedish innovation company re:newcell. The investment is used to build the world’s first production line for textile pulp from recycled textiles. Thus making 100% Circular garments a reality.

With new consumption patterns and an evolving middle class, especially in Asia, the increasing production of textiles is one of the largest global environmental challenges. With the increasing shortage of cotton on the market, oil-based textiles, such as polyester, are filling the gap of demand. Such oil-based synthetic fibres emit large amounts of greenhouse gases and are not bio-degradable. Therefore, it is important to recycle the existing resources to decrease the textile industry’s environmental impact.

Today, only a small portion of textiles are re-used and an even smaller portion recycled. If 1kg of clothing were to be reused instead of produced from virgin sources, it would save 3,6kg carbon dioxide, 6000 litres of water and 0,3 kg of fertilising chemicals and 0,2kg of insecticides.

Through re:newcell’s patented process, the environmental impact from the textile industry can be drastically reduced by recycling cellulosic based textiles, such as cotton and viscose. This will also reduce transport distances, allow more land for food production and reduce waste.

The SEK 48 million investment from the government-owned Fouriertransform and private owned Girincubator, is now used to build the world’s first production line for textile pulp from recycled textiles in Kristinehamn, Värmland.

”re:newcell is fully in line with Fouriertransform’s strategy to invest in world-class manufacturing industry with high innovation and opportunity for global growth. The technology represents a potentially important future circular solution to responsibly manage the challenge to meet the growing world demand for cotton textiles, which is a limited resource for the fashion and textile industry." says Per Aniansson, Investment Director Fouriertransform.

"The goal with re:newcell is to be part of creating a modern textile industry with resource- efficient processes and materials. It is with great pleasure that we take the next step in its development, with a first production line and a very strong ownership." says Malcolm Norlin, co-founder of re:newcell and Chairman of Girincubator.

The technology originates from research and development by Prof. Mikael Lindström, Prof. Gunnar Henriksson and Dr. Christofer Lindgren, of KTH in Stockholm.

Fouriertransform is a state-funded venture-capital company that, on commercial grounds, supports innovative companies and entrepreneurs that can contribute to vitalising the Swedish manufacturing industry. The company has an investment framework of SEK 3 billion and in addition to providing capital, also provides well-qualified employees and a network of experts. www.fouriertransform.se

Girincubator AB is a family owned investment company focusing on innovative companies with significant global potential within sustainable businesses, typically based on cellulose. The team has a long and successful track record in developing such products, solutions and companies for the world market. Girincubator is based in Stockholm.

re:newcell AB is a Swedish innovation company within sustainable textile recycling. The main focus is recycling of cotton and other cellulose-based materials. The company is now building the world's first production line for textile pulp from recycled textiles in Kristinehamn. Globally, there are about 29 million tons of cellulose-based fibre to recycle globally every year. re:newcell’s ambition is to bring such fibre to the value chain so as to create a circular fashion and textile industry.

Jul 5. 2016

re:newcell on the catwalk during Berlin Fashion Week

This article is written by Moa Nilsson at Smart Textiles.

Textiles back to Textile points the way towards a circularity in textiles at the Berlin Fashion Week.

The project, in which technology, recycling and production are combined, is called ‘Textiles back to textile’ and is an important step on the path towards a circular economy in textiles, from waste recovery to new products. In 2014, the world’s first garment made of recycled cotton was knitted – a unique breakthrough that showed that it is possible to create a cycle of textile fibres using completely new techniques. Now, the next generation of these textiles has been developed – a material mix of recycled cotton and cellulose from Swedish forests, which means that, as Swedes, we are now able to talk about ‘locally grown’ textiles.

The German designer Ina Budde, founder of "Design for circularity“ a sustainable Design Consultancy creating circular products and systems such as the "The Extended Closed Loop Platform", has, with support from Textile back to Textiles, produced the completely recyclable collection “Curated circularity - designed for Infinity” for the German sustainable fashion brand Jan‘n June. As winner of the first Lavera Green Fashion Award, Ina was invited to showcase the collection at the Berlin Fashion Week, The Ethical Fashion Show, on June 28.

The technique for recycling cotton chemically is developed by the company re:newcell at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Greenhouse Labs. With this unique breakthrough, Sweden is given a fantastic opportunity to participate in a new and growing textile market with new companies and sustainable, environmentally friendly services and products. Within Textile back to Textiles, prototypes are being developed that are matching the textile industries demands for environmentally friendly, functional and viable textile materials adapted to our time. This is something that Ina's collection demonstrates.

In Berlin there is plenty of interest in circular economy in fashion. By showcasing the collection at The Ethical Fashion Show Berlin, Ina wanted to show what’s already possible in the textile recycling. She is firmly determined that a chemical recycling of cellulose fiber has a central point for the industry.

“The chemical recycling of cellulosic fibres has a key relevance for a circular textile industry because it brings cotton recycling to the next quality level. It is an honor that I can present this future leading solution to the public and bring it to life by integrating it into my circular collection“, Ina Budde says.

Ina is convinced that the future of design will be circular and that fashion is a key driver for this system change. She creates elaborate products that have meaning, a long and effective life and endless value. For her, it is a matter of course that the designer has a responsibility for the products life cycle already at the design phase.

The collection is more than the look, it is more than the fabrics - the collection stands for a paradigm shift towards a circular future. Sustainability is not restrictive, for me it is rather a driver for innovation to explore recyclable monomaterial design techniques and patterns for multi-functionality”, she explains.

The collection Ina has developed is an addition to other prototypes developed within the project Textiles back to Textile. The project is a collaboration between: Smart Textiles, Wargön Innovation/Innovatum, re:newcell, Svenskt Konstsilke, Lindex, Nudie Jeans, Klättermusen, IL Recycling, Ragn-Sells, Röda Korset, Högskolan Väst, Innventia, Vänersborgs kommun and Akademiska Hus. The project are finansed by VINNOVA and Västra Götalandsregionen.

re:newcell announces today that it has started the construction of its demonstration plant, where a completely new way of recycling cotton will revolutionize the fashion industry. With the company's newly developed technology, old textiles such as jeans or t-shirts, can be converted into new textile pulp. Such re:newcell pulp is then used to produce new clothes. The factory is located inside the AkzoNobel facility in Kristinehamn, Sweden, and is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2017.

re:newcell AB has, in its Stockholm lab, developed a technology that makes it possible to take waste from the textile industry and from it produce new pulp. Such pulp is called dissolving pulp, and is today made from trees (for example, Lenzing, Södra or AdityaBirla). Dissolving pulp is mainly used to manufacture textile fibre materials such as Viscose or Lyocell. Until today it has not been possible to make new high quality textiles from recycled fabric.

The global textile demand is currently some 90 million tons per year. Natural materials (such as cotton and viscose) represent only about one-third. The remaining fibres are mainly oil-based materials such as polyester, elastane and nylon. Being able to increase the amount of natural materials by extending the life of already available resources is a top priority both among consumers and among the big fashion companies. Until now, it has not been possible to recycle cotton into the quality that fashion industry demands, but with re:newcell pulp this becomes possible.

The technology development has been ongoing since 2012 and now the process has matured to such a degree that the company is investing EUR 8 million to build an initial production line. The construction takes place inside the AkzoNobel facility in Kristinehamn, Sweden, some two hours from Stockholm.

The company's chairman Malcolm Norlin says: "We are very pleased to now be able to move forward and contribute to realizing the dream of a sustainable textile industry. Kristinehamn is located in the Paper Province in Värmland and gives us access to great skills when it comes to resource-efficient mass production. We consider it very positive that we can operate from a first-class facility such as AkzoNobel’s in Kristinehamn."

Carl-Axel Fall writes in the renowned Swedish magazine Veckans Affärer that as the global population continues to grow there will be an increased demand on textiles. There is today a necessity in increasing a circular textile production where you recycle textiles and sustainable textiles are produced.

re:newcell is in this article highlighted as one of the forerunners within the field of providing a circular production in Sweden.

“re:newcell is ready to scale its fabric-upcycling process” by Sourcing Journal

re:newcell is once again mentioned in an article in Sourcing Journal. This time the article focuses on the fact that re:newcell is ready to upscale its production and will have need of textile wastes to be recycled.

The article is based on a speech that Henrik Norlin made in New York on the 12th of November at the Cradle to Cradle's Fashio Positive event. Read more about how far re:newcell has come in its steps towards commercialization: Click here

Nov 05. 2015

re:newcell implements an ancient forest friendly sourcing policy

re:newcell is happy to announce that the company has implemented a business policy for protecting ancient and endangered forests. By providing an alternative recycled raw material to the dissolving pulp industry, re:newcell will reduce the demand for wood fiber and thereby help protect intact forests and the animals that live there. The policy has been produced in cooperation with Canopy, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to protecting the world’s forests, species and climate.

Earlier this month, the Huffington Post UK released an interesting article concerning the amount of textiles consumed today, the amount of resources used to produce this amount of textiles and what is being done to decrease the amount of waste. For instance, the author mentioned that the global apparel industry will during the year 2015 produce more than 400 billion square meters of textile, equivalent to covering the UK two times over. She also mentioned that Americans throw away approximately 10.5 million tons of clothing per year.

re:newcell's technology is in this article presented as one of the technologies that could decrease the amount of textile waste that the world produces.

Lyndsay McGregor has written an article for Sourcing Journal where she highlights the importance of a sustainable fashion industry. She raises issues such as a need for change within the textile supply chain and to close the loop on textiles as textile production requires a large amount of natural resources and the demand for textile is continuously increasing. Several textile industry businesses were interviewed in the article, such as H&M, Worn Again and re:newcell, each giving their point of view on how to make the textile industry more sustainable.

The Guardian wrote an interesting article concerning H&M's search of new alternative sustainable fibers. The article also highlights the issue of future fibre shortage as the global population continues to grow. re:newcell is mentioned in the article as a part of the solution of future fibre shortage.

re:newcell participated on the Swedish radio station P1's program "Stil". The program discussed the nature of consumers' textile behaviour. re:newcell contributed to the discussion by highlighting the importance of designing textiles to be efficiently recycled and the question: Who is responsible for managing textile waste?

We are proud to announce that re:newcell has been selected as one of the top 9 LAUNCH Nordic innovators and will receive support from IKEA, Novozymes, Kvadrat, leading scientists, investors and Nordic government representatives on scaling re:newcell business globally.

LAUNCH Nordic, following a public call for innovations, has selected re:newcell as one of the LAUNCH Nordic Innovators 2014. The challenge, which was open from March 14 through June 1st, resulted in 65 applications from more than 20 countries covering five continents. A panel of subject matter experts carefully reviewed all applications, and nine top innovators were selected to participate the LAUNCH Nordic Forum in Malmö, Sweden. “This is a recognition of the potential of re:newcell’s patentened technology and we are thrilled to be picked as one of the most promising innovations around”. Henrik Norlin, Business Developer at re:newcell.

LAUNCH Nordic Council participants include: Håkan Nordkvist, Head of Sustainability Innovation, IKEA, Ed Thomas, GM Sustainable Product, Research & Discovery, NIKE, Anders Byriel, CEO Kvadrat, Eva Gramby, Special Envoy, 3GF/Ministry of Foreign affairs - together with more than 25 other industry representative, entrepreneurs, scientist and investors. They will provide access to capital, credibility and capacity to help the nine innovators scale globally.

LAUNCH Nordic is a global innovation platform by: IKEA, Novozymes, Kvadrat, 3GF, Danish Ministry of the Environment & The Fund for Green Business Development, the City of Copenhagen and Vinnova. LAUNCH Nordic was created in collaboration with LAUNCH, a strategic partnership between NASA, NIKE, The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) & The U.S. Department of State.

For more information on LAUNCH Nordic and other innovators: Click here

re:newcell proudly announces that the first garment of fibers recycled through the re:newcell process has been developed. The garment is a breakthrough for textile recycling and will be shown during the Almedal Week in July 2014.

With this, the company demonstrates that the technology works well and can be used to produce high quality comfortable clothing. The dress, made of recycled blue jeans, has been developed through a collaboration between re:newcell, KTH, Svenskt Konstsilke AB, Textilhögskolan i Borås and Wargön Innovation.